Kentucky workers anxiously await end of federal shutdown

7:26 PM,
Oct. 16, 2013

Larry Bull owner of Mammoth Cave Canoe Kayak poses for a portrait, Bull was forced to close for the day due to Mammoth Cave National Park being closed because of the government shutdown. October 1, 2013

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With the federal shutdown crawling toward an end, government employees in Kentucky anxiously awaited word that they couldreturn to work, and Gov. Steve Beshear warned that dozens of programs narrowly escaped meltdown.

Officials at Fort Knox were awaiting instructions on how quickly civilian workers could be called back. The base employs more than 10,000 civilian workers and contractors, although at least 2,200 had already returned after a Department of Defense directive broadened the military-related exemptions connected to the shutdown.